Iowa State Cyclones’ guard Emily Ryan (11) takes a shot over Drake Bulldogs forward Courtney Becker (32) during the first quarter in the NCAA women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES – After suffering its first loss of the season against UNI on Wednesday, Iowa State was tasked with going into a second straight in-state rivalry game as Drake came to Hilton Coliseum.
And despite being outrebounded by the Bulldogs, coach Bill Fennelly’s squad was able to hit just enough shots, earning the 80-78 win while Audi Crooks’ final shot went through the net with 0.3 seconds remaining on the clock.
“The biggest thing was Drake’s effort,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “That’s the one thing… ‘I’ve done this a long time. I’ve never seen a female basketball player get a rebound above the rim – ever. And I’ve coached against Britney Griner. So, every rebound comes off below the rim, which means, ‘who wants it more? You or me.'”
Drake outrebounded the Cyclones 42-31, with 11 offensive boards that kept possessions alive in critical moments down the stretch.
It allowed Drake to get back into the game and tighten things up down the stretch.
“There were times tonight when there was one blue jersey against three white jerseys and the blue jersey got (the rebound),” Fennelly said. “That’s a credit to them. Sometimes it’s that we didn’t block out… well, no we didn’t, but sometimes they just played harder than us.”
During one possession in the fourth quarter, Drake secured three offensive boards in a row while Iowa State was clinging to a 69-68 lead.
Luckily, it didn’t bite the Cyclones.
“That one stretch where I think they had five in about 40 seconds, then you’ve just got to keep guarding and guarding and guarding, which means eventually, they’re going to score,” Fennelly said. “Luckily, the 11 offensive rebounds didn’t turn into a lot of points. That’s where we got lucky.”
Iowa State knows that it won’t be able to get away with that in its next game, and it nearly didn’t Sunday as Drake’s Katie Dinnebier scorched the net with 39 points on 13-16 shooting.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Cyclones will the defending national champions in South Carolina, which is coming off a blowout loss Sunday to No. 5 UCLA.
“That’s something that we need to put a big emphasis on, and the coaches are,” point guard Emily Ryan said. “We’ve got to put the work in and really take a lot of pride in going to get the ball. That’s something we really do need to work on and will be moving forward.”
Iowa State and South Carolina will tip off at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, on Fox.
